Can You High Speed Polish Obsidian?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

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[@Mike-br8vb]

Thanks for being our guinea pig Jared! I'll be slow speed polishing my obsidian! 🙂

[@eltipobigotudo2162]

5:45 The pancake analogy is SO perfect!!

[@KatyDidRocks]

I love that you try new things - but I'm sure glad you were wearing safety gear!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I love trying new things. These finger tips won't grind themselves off! :)

[@KatyDidRocks]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding That high-speed grinder freaks me the f*** out!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

@@KatyDidRocks I try to treat it like a table saw.

[@Bones_and_Stones]

Great video. Nothing better than someone answering questions for you (sometimes before you asked 😆). The point with bits knapping off will be very relevant when I get on with polishing some of my chert, as that is braking in to sharps too. I need to get past cutting first of my tile saw reliably pulverises weaker bits and refuses the harder ones. I like speedpolishing idea though. I cannot see myself bending for 3 hours over one rock.

[@francisgram9548]

flat lap works for me . . . . up to 2000 grit then cerium polish compound - final car polish with orbital buffing pad. Get great polish on tektites using rotary tumbler. Going too fast creates heat and may loosen up the fractures. Just my low grade amateur experience. BTW love your series, thanks for all the postings

[@jeytex3161]

Yes a dangerous adventure to be certain when you consider that the ancients used it for weapons for protection and hunting etc. I have a few buckets of the stuff so I too have a great curiosity about the “how tos”. Buddy of mine cut it and polished they the grits on a cab king. His results were not great. Higher end compounds may very well do the trick. Thanks for the video, I will share what I learn maybe we can figure this out.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I think a few things happened with this, mostly it got too hot. I would like to find a way to get it to work and polish obsidian in a fast way.

[@ericclift1773]

I just polished a few cabs of rainbow obsidian on a cabking with cerium oxcide. I have to turn on and off the machine to use it like his carpet wheel as in a slower RPM. It works good just have to be careful of the speed. I’m using a leather wheel but just found some Berber carpet to us as I have talked to another rock hounder and that’s what he uses. Making sure the wheel is wet and not to dry is important as it will grab and throw the rock if to dry. I just did my first time as well and I found some scratches that I didn’t get out with my sanding wheels. Patients is key. Keep the grind up!! 👍

[@jamesh5460]

Some friends of mine took a piece of obsidian that I found and ground it into an absolutely beautiful sphere and gave it to me for my birthday. Love the stuff and intrigued with how cool yours is polishing up.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

An obsidian sphere sounds really cool.

[@treasuresunderfoot7876]

My experience is to put a small 45 degree bevel around edge of stone after cutting. Then limit contact time between surface of stone & surface of sander. It's more like a tap, tap, tap. It keeps from heat buildup running to the edge & blowing out. The bevel keeps the heat from disecting at 1 sharp corner. You'll get it. You seem to figure problems out as you go; which is awesome. Good luck and another good video 👍

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Good advice, I might have to try that with this.

[@WorldofRockhounds]

I give you credit for trying and it's not a bad first pancake! Heat and speed don't do well with obsidian or really any other material that is sensitive to chipping out (other material like opal too) Even with dry sanding on the lower speed expando drums, the heat is an issue and can cause fracturing or pieces to chip off if not monitored. Luckily your fingers were spared! :)

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I would like to try and get this to work if I can. I was thinking about trying it again and maybe doing a few things differently but maybe Ill put my face shield on for it.

[@WorldofRockhounds]

@Currently Rockhounding that might be a good idea 🤠👍

[@patriciamckean4186]

Safety first and foremost. Glad you test for all the rockhounds out there.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

:)

[@mtonjum]

Hi! I enjoy watching these polishing or project type videos to get ideas or learn something new! Maybe you could do some more of these kind or even cutting the rocks videos too. Thanks for taking the time to make this video! :)

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm already a few steps ahead of you on that and have some coming out in the coming weeks!

[@clarkward9208]

The most powerful lessons are sometimes what not to do :) great vid! I am trying obsidian for the first time as well. Here goes nothin’….. thanks for the vid!

[@TheRogueRockhound]

Legit buddy. I've wondered about this as well. Thanks and look forward to more experiments

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I think it has some promise. Maybe with some testing I can get it to work better but I think this just might not be the way to go.

[@RufotrisRootedRockhound]

Scary shard haha. That would be a no for me after that too haha. Just get a full suit of armor before you try again 😅

[@silverback5033]

Hello again Jared, another good video with some interesting info. I like the idea of revisiting some previous locations, should be interesting with a few more years of rock education under your belt. Keep Safe & Keep Rockin.

[@hockeyrace]

Cool 😎. I was diggin the idea. I’ve never cut and polished obsidian. It seems like a pain in the 🤬. Frankly, I was pretty impressed with the shine on that. Thank you for sharing 🤘 Stay Crystal 💫 Mari

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

It is a bit of a pain but I'm also determined to figure out how to do it in a fast way.

[@borismom9720]

Thanks for taking the chance and showing us "commoners" at home (with no equipment or experience, and probably less common sense)....I'm not sure if I would of had enough sense to think what would of happened if it the shard had caught a finger...Suggestion that may or may not work: those "kevlar chef gloves" that protect them from getting cut by their knives??....

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Oh my gosh! Thank you very much. Those gloves could work excellent for this, I think.

[@markattardo]

Interesting experiment for sure! Very glad the shard didn't impale you.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Yeah that would not have been fun.

[@TarnishedViking.]

Obsidian on the mohs scale does vary due to cooling. Surface Obsidian is usually harder than volcanic tube Obsidian. Volcanic tube Obsidian has a slow cooling (temper) which makes it softer than a rapid surface cooling. Obsidian, is also used in making original Viking Swords.

[@braddblk]

It has been years now since I was polishing obsidian but I was using a horizontal polisher with diamond wheels up to a diamond paste of 50,000 and wasn't satisfied so I went to the local rock shop. They took me back and showed me using the cerium oxide on a leather pad and we got a very good polish. As you said I think you skipped too many steps in between the 120 grit and the cerium. Good job for a 1st try though

[@sandmaker]

I can just see that shard sticking out your jugular. That would be a different ending. I think I am just lucky. I have never had any problem polishing obsidian. Every now an then micro crystal will show up. Diamonds or quartz I don't know, but after a couple of minutes work you can get past them or figure the orientation of the Crystal's and change you angle. I do throw away gloves more frequently because of the tiny shards that are embedded in them. I use self adhering wrap on my fingers now and toss it after each session. Be happy, SAFE and stay healthy 😷⚒

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Good advice! As always thank you.

[@ericendicott6133]

Perfectly safe with a full body suit made of chainmail !

[@cailinanne]

I knit chainmail, let’s do this 🤣

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Hahaha I would love to own that.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

That sounds really cool.

[@GREEKEXPLORERS]

Nice video,thank you for sharing!!

[@jadppe]

Found your channel through Lapidary Dave recommendation. Love this kind of stuff. You could make a scalpel out of that shard...apparently thats a thing...and much sharper than a metal scalpel

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Welcome! Lapidary Dave has a great channel!

[@spetkovsek57]

I'm going to revisit this in the near future. We'll see what kind of polish I can obtain. Wish me luck.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I look forward to the results!

[@cliffmiller1021]

Oh goodness, keeping it safe-ish! What a fickle media to try high friction vibrations on. Better outcome then I would have imagined, glad no content creators were injured. If that could be slabbed to let light through, I bet it would be amazing to look through. How could one do it without shattering the slab....real slow?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I think the best way to cut obsidian is on an oil saw, I might cut a slab off the end of this.

[@kennethchristie5167]

Great video. 👍

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you.

[@Onehelluvahotel69]

Very interesting video. Keep up the amazing content

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you.

[@grandparocky]

I used to knap a lot and have been told that the edges of obsidian are the sharpest edges on the planet!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I have also heard that. I wonder how accurate that is or is it a tall tale?

[@spetkovsek57]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding @diabetessun Shards of Obsidian are still used in the medical field today as they cannot sharpen a scalpel as sharp as Obsidian breaks.

[@eng12b3p]

I think it came out great for your first try with that material. Could make an awesome March giveaway😉

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I have some plans on how I could maybe improve the system with setup to get a better polish and it might just end up in the give away box.

[@tenaedmonson1213]

Thank YOU!!😀

[@joebotz1243]

I wonder if you could use some type of diminishing compound and polish it by hand

[@mebs001]

Well, other than the flying shard, I didn’t think it turned out too bad. Jared you’re a pretty engineering guy. Could you craft up a padded shell of sorts (think padded coconut-like shell half) that fits over the obsidian rock and polish it on a sideways facing surface, so that if another shard comes off, your body shouldn’t be in the line of fire. As for your cold shop, how about installing a tiny wood stove?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Ummm that's an awesome idea, I will kick around that idea, it might have some real promise for containing any flying chips. I now have a small diesel heater in the shop!

[@nobodyisprfct]

I had just found some rainbow obsidian. I was wondering how to get a good polish and clean cuts. You showed up in my search once again. I am curious about the difference in material used for sanding and polishing glass vs agates. Hi-tech has 2 options of flat lap machines. One they labeled as glass polish. I wonder if this matters?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I have an article up on my website about polishing obsidian that you might find helpful.

[@Ontario_Rockhound]

Interesting video.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you.

[@sfbfriend]

Came out better than I thought it was going to. Obsidian isn't easy, it's one of my personal favorites but I definitely am not well versed in it. I am attempting to learn via "World of Rock Hounds" he is very good and has good advice. You do have to take precautions when working with obsidian, it can be hazardous to your health! Best to bevel the edges slightly, reduces the possibility of those little missiles! Fun experiment, thanks...yea yea I know I'm a year behind

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I also have an article on my website written by Kyle of World of Rockhounds about how he polishes obsidian.

[@sfbfriend]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding Will check it out, thank you

[@CityRockhounding]

Great video, I have a a few pieces of black obsidian that I find on a gravel road by my cabin. I was wondering what I could do with it, thanks. Definitely a good example of safety first.

[@TheAdventureCloset]

Funny how not having health insurance makes you more self aware. 😆

[@suejarrard2221]

Dang... You got lucky. Play safe! :)

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm going to try a not use up all my luck at once.

[@savagesquirrel9828]

Obsidian is more difficult than it ought to be. I don’t know why. It looked pretty good to me. Isn’t some of the cloudiness just in the rock? Thanks.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

It can be hard to polish. I don't think its in the rock, all of it should be able to take a mirrored polish.

[@lapidarydave]

Awesome

[@silverback5033]

Hi Jared, well this is a bit strange, I was about to comment when I noticed that I had already made a comment, no it’s the comment I made to your other video, don’t know what happened there, it must have rolled onto the next video before I realised it. Doh🤣🤣 I watched this with interest to see how your machines worked out. The sander/grinder looks like a bit of a beast, but seems to work pretty well. The polisher is a neat looking build, however I wonder if the carpet itself is a bit course for obsidian. I regularly watch “Black Opal Direct” Aussie opal cutter and he uses a felt pad with cerium oxide to final polish his gems. I was wondering if changing the carpet for a felt wheel would be an upgrade for your type of polisher. I am not making a recommendation just mulling over if it work. Enjoyed the video, it at least made me think a bit. Keep Safe & Keep;Rockin

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Look like KZbin had a bit of a hiccup. The way I designed this machine I can change out the carpet really quickly, I have plans to start trying some other things in the future to see what works best with it. I have heard of people using leather, canvas and felt. Personally I think the felt will likely be the best but maybe all of them are really similar. Only one way to find out!

[@grandparocky]

Our dogs love pancakes! find something else to polish with safer results! However that being said I do enjoy Mahogany obsidian!

[@problemwithauthority]

I used a cab grinder and didn't get a much better polish. If I recall it has a smel that reminds me of coal burning.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

It's hard stuff to work.

[@patrickliu4463]

Hey I got a question about reinforcing rocks that may be fragile, basically can you do it and should you? And if you do how? I brought back some fantastic material from a road cut and it would be an amazing display piece for a coffee table but I'm afraid one quick jolt might break it apart since the rock its on isn't uniform. Any way to fix it?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

You can glue rocks back together if they break. Is that what you're talking about doing?

[@patrickliu4463]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding sorta, more like preventing it from happening in the first place

[@cailinanne]

Anyone else be like “What about your heater?!” when he said it was chilly? 🤣

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I do have a heater now. Most of the videos when they post are 2-4 weeks old so this was filmed before I had the heater up and running. :)

[@cailinanne]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding ok good! I was worried about your fingies! 🤣🥰

[@jennifercalatayud989]

What are you using to polish?

[@jennifercalatayud989]

Which polishing agent I mean

[@ericclift1773]

Check out World of Rock hounds, he has awesome techniques on polishing obsidian. Especially fire obsidian!!

[@MacV-g2b]

Can you blowtorch obsidians rock?and what is obsidians rocks or metal

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Can you be more clear with what exactly you're asking here.

[@FFSeiler]

Thanks for trying it.... so we don't have to 😃

[@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353]

I'll give it to C-. Saw scratches 😉

[@Uraeus_]

I started watching and thinking about the silicosis of your lungs! Doing it dry like that is so risky... Thank you for the video though!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I think you are way off base here. I have dust collection system which pick up almost 100% of the dust and a mask on. I have a few other videos showing the machine if you want to learn more.

[@joniangelsrreal6262]

👏👏

[@CockatoobirdmanBill]

Just a tip if you use the left side of the carpet wheel it will be safer if the rock gets a catch it will throw the the rock down and not into your face.....Be well and be safe....

[@mray8519]

That Richardson Ranch machine throws out dust like a whirlwind. If/when it grabbed a piece of clothing your next visit would be the emergency room. Just saying.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Do you own one or are you repeating things said online? My dust collection system is great and this machine is no more safe or unsafe then many other tools that are common in a shop environment such as a tablesaw. Do you also go and leave comments like this on wood working videos?

[@mikedodge3910]

Yeah, I'd say safety first with obsidian, that stuff can cut you so quickly!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Yeah its quite sharp when it does come off.

[@GeraldBlack1]

Play with glass you're going to get cut. Flintknapping is an art.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Does that mean throwing high speed flakes is also an art? :)

[@troydean5702]

@Currently Rockhounding more so flinging them. Called archery. Stuff is way to sharp throw for me. I am a sissy and am ok with that.

[@davidraines368]

I have some obsidian which is not very good grade. I still am polishing one piece after several weeks. Mine will not polish like yours.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

What are you using to polish it?

[@davidraines368]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding I use a 6" CabKing cab maker. Once I run the material through 6 steps of the different diamond wheels of the CabMaker I then go to 8,000, 50,000 and 200, 000 diamond paste and a Dremel rotary with wool wheels.

[@j.ericswede7084]

NOTE TO SELF: Tryer Beware, leave that Volcanic Glass as you found it on the ground. Love the natural Obsidian swirls. Glad to see you were wearing a stylish mask though.

[@kaleyfantastic]

aaaand that.

[@manisteerocks7092]

Next home Depot stop..new gloves..

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Did you mean to say "Next home Depot stop..more tape.."?

[@Algoldprospecting]

Don’t cut your hand off

[@bunk9991]

Polish after 800 grit?? I go to 3000 grit and a diamond polish after that and its suspect after that! I don't know why obsidian is so hard to polish but no matter what I do there is always an anomaly with it. I have heard "optical quality" cerium is the way to go. Haven't tried!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Yeah so a couple of things, grit is just a unit of measurement for the size of hole in a screen that something can pass though. When using doing highspeed sanding you use Silicon Carbide which at 800 grit Silicon Carbide you generally plenty ready for polish. You should go look at some of my other videos on the process and machine.

[@bunk9991]

I guess because I use a cabbing machine, I didnt know you could get 800 grit scratches out with polish. Obsidian is a monster of another dimension when it comes to polishing i am sure. And the last thing I would do is doubt you. So do you think diamond is a waste of money when it comes to obsidian? You da man!

[@twoplanetlife7969]

Look after your fingers!